“This s.h.i.+t! Are you going to keep avoiding it like a rat?”

I just dodged Mad Dog's relentless daggers. It was true that poison was a scary thing. If not for that, I wouldn't be like this. I couldn't attack without knowing the ident.i.ty of the poison. Currently, I was only resistant to spider venom, not all of them.

“Poison also hurts me.”

I fired a cobweb at this person's face. Then I took advantage of his vision being obscured to kick him in the a.s.s. Mad Dog pulled the cobweb off his lips. This was why it didn't end easily.

“You b.a.s.t.a.r.d... come on. Come here!” The moment Mad Dog was running toward me, a huge bolt of lightning exploded from the edge of the stadium and swept over the floor. It separated me and Mad Dog and we faltered from the sudden attack.

I turned to the source of the blue lightning. “This guy...”

It was a blue lightning dragon. It was still small but I clearly remembered it in Prometheus' memories. I knew what it was. “He really did have a conversation with Raitra.”

I didn't know Raitra would hand this over. Gyeonso Dragon's body was engulfed in a blue lightning bolt that was in the shape of a lightning dragon.

On the other side, Reinhardt stood with his mouth wide open. Then he soon laughed enthusiastically. “Huhuhu. You had this hidden. If so, I will take it seriously!”

The s.h.i.+eld in Reinhardt's hand floated into the air and stopped in front of his chest. The s.h.i.+eld faded and clung to his entire body like a layer of defense. He instantly looked twice as tall as before. It was like the PepsiMan I used to see on the TV commercials in the past. This appearance was a bit awkward and weird so I looked forward again.

The blue lightning was still going strong. It was like a wall dividing between me and Mad Dog. Maybe it was a good thing. It meant he couldn't attack Mido anymore. I stepped back to Mido's location. From behind me, the sound of lightning continued to be heard.

“You've taken care of me again.”

“Thank you for the help.”

Kim Hyeonu and Mido thanked me.

Park Taehyeon was still looking at me with a sullen expression. He was probably still upset by yesterday's soap incident.

“Taehyeon.”

“Ah, I know. I will just say thank you. Thanks.”

Park Taehyeon expressed his grat.i.tude in English in an awkward manner. I frowned slightly but decided to just move on. Well, there were still a lot of things to be resolved between us.

Just then, there was another burst of lightning. I moved my gaze back to Gyeonso Dragon's location. The scene of a blue lightning dragon and a man with steel skin fighting was a rare sight. Gyeonso Dragon's fist hit Reinhardt's body but Reinhardt was still fine.

I clicked my tongue at how hard his body was. I s.h.i.+fted my attention. There, Park Muyeol and Hutton were in a power struggle. The ground was shaking from the intense shockwaves.

“......”

It was a complete mess. The match would be over if only one more person was eliminated. I wondered who would fall. The blue lightning bolt was deflected by Reinhardt and flew in a straight line past me. I became fl.u.s.tered. It was heading toward Mido's location.

“This...!”

They turned reflexively but the blue lightning had already reached them. However, it was Park Taehyeon, not Mido, who was struck by lightning. It seemed he had thrown himself forward to save the group.

“Aaaack!”

“Taehyeon oppa!”

“Park Taehyeon!”

He was literally pushed to the edge of the stage by the blue lightning. The moment Park Taehyeon went out of the stage, there was a trumpet sound to signal the end of the match. At the same time, the host's voice was heard.

-I-It has ended! These are the partic.i.p.ants who will advance to the top 8!

The crystal ball that appeared showed the faces of the survivors. Thus, the round of 16 ended.

* * *

-Ahh, this is an announcement. The round of 8 will begin three days later due to the personal circ.u.mstances of Kaidan, the owner of the Colosseum. I'll say it again. The round of 8...

The host announced the schedule for the round of 8. The reason was unknown but it was said to be due to the personal circ.u.mstances of Kaidan, the owner of the Colosseum. The reaction of the spectators watching wasn't very good. Due to the sudden change in rules, there were quite a few people who lost money.

However, it wasn't everyone. The crowd would've guessed that Reinhardt or Gyeonso Dragon would survive. It was the same for the Zeus Guild members watching the match.

“Ah~ Reinhardt is truly hard. Isn't this great? Damian?”

“Yes. Certainly, the power of the Star Fruit is great. As expected from one of the Eight Supernovas. The funny thing is that Reinhardt originally wasn't a tanker cla.s.s?”

“Ah, that's right. He originally wasn't a tanker.”

“Yes, he had the fighter cla.s.s.”

Damian exchanged opinions with Cappuccino about the content of the game. He had forgotten for a moment but he remembered the first time Reinhardt joined the Zeus Guild. He just had an ordinary fighter cla.s.s and his cla.s.s name was 'Iron Fist.' It was a name that seemed a long way from a tanker.

“That guy is like that.”

“He wanted to fight but he endured as a tanker for us.”

Reinhardt was able to act as such a solid tanker because of the special s.h.i.+eld he had accidentally obtained. A s.h.i.+eld used by the ancient giants. Neither Reinhardt or the guild knew the ident.i.ty of the s.h.i.+eld yet. It was just a very solid s.h.i.+eld comparable to a Star Piece.

“Oh, is everyone watching Reinhardt?”

Reina's voice was heard and Damian responded, “Why, are you watching another man?”

“Um~ I'm not the type of woman to sneakily look at someone~”

“Don't pretend to be cute.” 

“Che, aren't I cute? In any case, that isn't important. Did you see that grandfather?”

Damian and Cappuccino nodded simultaneously. She was talking about the grandfather called Park Muyeol who fought well with the black wooden sword.

“He is great. His swordsmans.h.i.+p is incredibly sophisticated.”

“What is that grandfather?”

“Yes. Was he someone who originally learned kendo?”

“No, I think...”

In the meantime, the strong players who entered the top 8 had stepped into the waiting room. There was a baptism of camera flashes from the reporters in the stands. The ones with the most attention were naturally Reinhardt and Gyeonso Dragon. Moreover, Hutton and the grandfather, Park Muyeol, weren't lacking attention. The community would probably soon be buzzing about the grandfather, Park Muyeol.

“Michael, what are you thinking?”

At Damian's words, Michael stood up with folded arms from where he had been watching the match. “...Nothing. Let's go.”

“Really? Then we will go.”

“Who can help me shop~?”

“I don't want to.”

“Cappuccino, what did you do every day? Do you want me to tell Reinhardt?”

“Whatever you want~”

Michael was heading to the exit when he suddenly turned back.

'That man...'

The person he was looking at wasn't Reinhardt or Gyeonso Dragon. It also wasn't Hutton or Park Muyeol who had a great deal of power. He was staring at the man wearing the mask of a black wolf. Michael felt a type of familiarity from him.

'I don't think so. That person wouldn't come to this place.'

Perhaps it was one of those who copied Dark Wolf. In today's community, it was fas.h.i.+onable to copy the same clothes and mask that Dark Wolf wore. Michael had experienced it before. Maybe this person was one of those fans.

“I'm going to focus on leveling up again.”

After a long time, Michael felt his blood boiling. It seemed the strong people climbing up from below were more formidable than he thought.

* * *

The next morning—I watched TV for the first time in ages while enjoying the weekend. There was only one thing I was interested in these days. It was programs and information related solely to Arkstar. There was a talk show about the Colosseum battle yesterday. Arkstar's experts appeared and were asked about their opinions, but it was doubtful if they were actually experts.

-Indeed, Reinhardt's reputation is undeniable.

-That's right. One of the Eight Supernovas, Gyeonso Dragon is also great. He is worthy of being the king of fists.

-The blue lightning he emitted yesterday was truly terrifying.

-I still can't forget the new look that Reinhardt showed.

The main content was about yesterday's match. The names of Reinhardt and Gyeonso Dragon were mentioned many times and there were many opinions. This had lasted for 30 minutes. Then an unexpected man appeared on the TV.

-However, there is someone who is even more talked about than the two of them. The community has become hotter due to the sudden appearance of this person.

The one who appeared on the screen was Park Muyeol. The black sword and hair clipper in his hand were a ridiculous contrast but his skills were not a joke. The wave of power formed by the collision of Park Muyeol and Hutton was conveyed in the video.

-It is really amazing. I don't understand how a grandfather can be so strong.

-I also agree. At first glance, his control over the sword is unusual. What is that grandfather's level? Additionally, what is his cla.s.s?

-Information about the grandfather is now being circulated in the community. The even more amazing thing is that he just finished the training camp.

-Yesterday, there was a brief video about the grandfather Park Muyeol's training camp and it became a hot topic on social media. I can only say that he is amazing...

All the ensuing words were about Park Muyeol. Hutton also showed great strength but the topic wasn't as hot. It was because Park Muyeol was old. It was definitely an appearance that attracted attention.

Ttiring~

Then I heard the sound of a text arriving on my phone that was in my pocket. I took it out straight away and turned the screen on.

[Park Muyeol: I'm a celebrity.]

“...What is this?”

I immediately pressed the call b.u.t.ton.